Ventura County Perspective

Pedestrian and Bike Safety

* A dangerous traffic situation exists on Telegraph Road between Hoover and Hill roads. The speed limit of 50 mph on the new four-lane road is too fast when bicyclists are so close to cars. The once-safe 10-foot sidewalk that bicyclists shared with pedestrians is now a 5-foot bike lane in the street and a 5-foot sidewalk.

We believe that the new traffic lane is too close to the bike lane to be safe for bicyclists. Because it is unlikely that the city will remove this lane, we believe that the speed of traffic needs to be reduced when students are present. It should be treated as a school zone with a posted maximum speed of 25 mph "when children are present."

At 50 mph, a minor error on the part of either a driver or bicyclist could result in a terrible accident. To exacerbate this situation, many of the drivers during periods of highest pedestrian and bicycle traffic are high school and college-age students. These drivers tend to have more accidents than any other age group.

There are more that 30 students who ride bikes and 30 more who walk this road every school day. For these students, this is their only means of transportation to school.

Take a walk immediately after school when the most frequent bike traffic occurs; walk the bike lane and see how safe you feel. Then you will understand our concern for the welfare of our child as well as the others.